My honest review of Christianity

[TreeSapNest]

Yes you are correct, however religion is capable of brainwashing sane adults too unless they are already questioning it. For example many religious organizations will offer food and shelter to the poor and homeless while slowly indoctrinating them to the respective faith system.

Brainwashed? Sure, there are cults and other groups (religious and otherwise) that take some pretty extreme approaches with their members, but I don't think that's the general experience of people growing up in a free, but religious society. Instead, it's just that most religions tell a pretty good story. Most are pretty good story tellers too. As a whole it has a lot of experience answering questions too. People sharing those religions are doing so because they believe in it, they enjoy the religion, and they want to share that enjoyment. They aren't evil monster's that need to be stopped. :-)

All that said, the promise of dire afterlife consequences is an inherent coersion within all the Abrahamic religions, Hinduism, and probably many others. Anyone who didn't leave their religious beliefs via a sudden and convincing epiphany can surely attest to it's effect. Even though I had lost all confidence in religious belief by my mid teens, I didn't lose my "what if I'm wrong" fears until I was about 30. Oddly, it took me that long to finally accept without a doubt what was obvious to me at a very young age. Coersion, intended by my peers and elders or not, is very effective!